Dear Teacher,

This Teacher’s Resource Guide is designed to provide resources you may use in your classroom as a basis for expanded discussion and student learning about Prince Edward Island’s Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence.

This year, the Purple Ribbon Campaign marks the 22nd anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were murdered at their engineering school in Mon-treal. They were singled out and murdered because they were women. This stag-gering national event occurred only weeks after a PEI woman was murdered. And in the years since the Massacre, seven more women have been murdered on Prince Edward Island by men they knew. Over the same years, the community has worked hard to develop violence prevention programs to ensure events like the Montreal Massacre or the murders of Island women do not have to happen again. Over the past decades, young people like your students have shown a strong interest in vio-lence prevention and a keenness to learn what they can do.

This Resource Guide for PEI Teachers was designed especially with grade nine Health teachers in mind. We have included the content of this year’s Purple Ribbon infor-mation card and have suggested connections to curriculum, pointers for discussion, activities for students, and additional sources. We have also included copies of each handout for your classroom.

As we mark the years since the Montreal Massacre, we are aware that two decades is like an eternity for many young people. In 1989, your students were not even born. We hope that some of the resources we have prepared will make the Purple Ribbon Campaign materials more accessible to your students and allow them to participate more fully in the Campaign if they wish to. We hope that using this resource guide makes the symbol of the purple ribbon and its association with action against vio-lence more usable by young people.

We welcome your questions, com-ments, and feedback. Please com-plete and send in the evaluation form in this package.

Sincerely,

Diane Kays, Chairperson

About the Purple Ribbon Campaign

Every year since 1991, the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women has coordinated a Purple Ribbon Cam-paign Against Violence. Again this year, volunteers from across Prince Edward Island – individuals, church groups, youth groups, Women’s Institute members, and school groups – will spend hours pinning purple ribbons to thousands of bilingual informa-tion cards. Volunteers help distribute these ribbons across the Island to raise awareness of violence issues and to encourage people to work together towards an end to violence.

Thousands of Islanders wear purple ribbons during the week of December 6 to mark the National Day of Remem-brance and Action on Violence Against Women. The ribbons are also worn during Family Violence Prevention Week (February 12-18, 2012) as a sign that they stand up against violence.

Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence

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Page 2 2011 Purple Ribbon Campaign – Guide for Grade 9 Teachers

Curriculum ConnectionsThe Grade Nine Health curriculum, which includes specific learning outcomes that focus on relation-ship choices, provides an exceptional opportunity to look at the dynamics of family violence and violence against women.

Prior to the 1970s, there was no name for the vio-lence that women and children were experiencing in the home. Violence against women was treated as a joke – male MPs laughed when “wife battering” was mentioned in the House of Commons in 1982.

Up until 1983, there was no law that recognized mari-tal rape – a man was presumed to have some right of property over his wife’s body. What happened in the home was considered a private family matter.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Canadian femi-nists and their allies worked hard to provide services to abused women and children, to raise awareness about how violence is used to control others less powerful, and to create the social and political re-forms necessary to ensure greater equality between men and women.

Greater equality has been achieved for many in Canada today; however, violence is still being used to control others. Especially vulnerable are historically disempowered groups such as newcomers to Canada and Aboriginal Canadians.

Who’s Got the Power?In Lesson One of Choices for Positive Youth Relation-ships, the section on Identify the Abuse (page 41), students are asked to identify power imbalances in our society. As part of this brainstorming exercise, ask students to identify some of the historical factors that have contributed to the roots of violence in Aborigi-nal communities. (Included in this list could be colo-nialism, racism, isolation, and residential schools.)

The Sisters in Spirit project led by the Native Wom-en’s Association of Canada highlights ways in which Aboriginal women in Canada continue to be more vulnerable to racialized and sexualized violence against women.

Resources: Visit nwac.ca/programs/sis-research for Sisters in Sprit research reports and resources, includ-ing awareness and education materials.

The section on Relationship Choices, page 64 of the Grade 9 Health Curriculum Guide focuses on societal conditions and beliefs that encourage violence. Below are some questions and suggestions that might help students identify some of the social conditions and beliefs that encourage violence in today’s world.

The Montreal MassacreIn 1989, not everyone was happy that women had greater equality and more opportunity. One man felt it was so unfair that women were allowed to go to engineering school when he had been refused, that he went on a murderous rampage at the school. He shot and killed 14 young women. This incident be-came known as the Montreal Massacre and is com-memorated each December 6 during the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Creating Commemorative ArtThe Montreal Massacre has inspired many musicians, poets, writers, painters, sculptors, and filmmakers over the years.

Have students do research in the library or over the Internet of the many pieces of commemorative art inspired by the Montreal Massacre. Have students create their own poem or artwork commemorating victims of violence or celebrating healthy relation-ships.

Resources: Handouts – “For Montreal,” a poem by Tanya Davis and “Sisters Remembered,” a painting by Lisa Murphy, provided in this package.

Taking ActionThe Purple Ribbon Campaign provides an ideal oppor-tunity for students to “help a friend” (p. 107, Choices for Positive Youth Relationships) by helping to raise awareness about violence.

Resources: “20 Ways Young People Can Help End Violence,” provided in this package. S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) is a great local stu-dent organization that is learning about and working against violence. Their website includes resources, videos, and connections with PEI students who are ac-tive citizens: savepei.com.

On-line ResourcesPEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

gov.pe.ca/acsw (website) peiacsw.wordpress.com (blog)

PEI Family Violence Prevention Services Inc.

fvps.ca

Premier’s Action Committee on Family Violence Prevention

stopfamilyviolence.pe.ca

PEI Rape and Sexual Assault Centre

peirsac.org

Women in PEI: A Statistical Review 2010

gov.pe.ca/photos/original/Women_Stat2010.pdfRespect Women (Newfoundland & Labrador)

respectwomen.ca

YWCA Research

ywcacanada.ca

Shelternet

shelternet.ca

Amnesty International

amnesty.ca/campaigns/svaw_overview.php

White Ribbon Campaign for Men

whiteribbon.ca

Sisters in Spirit Research

nwac.ca/programs/sis-research

Students Against Violence Everywhere - PEI (S.A.V.E.)

savepei.com

2011 Purple Ribbon Campaign – Guide for Grade 9 Teachers Page 3

Campaign for Access to JusticeThis year, the Purple Ribbon Campaign is inviting people to take action by writing to the PEI provincial government to ask for commitment and action on establish-ing a domestic violence court. A website, accessjusticepei.wordpress.com will offer

• background information about domestic violence courts

• templates and ideas for letters to government

• printable postcards, and more.

New resources and information from events related to access to justice will be added. Visit accesstojusticepei.wordpress.com

1 Preventing and Reducing Poverty in Prince Edward Island: A Strategy for Engagement http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/cssl_povertyred.pdf 2 Women in PEI: A Statistical Profile, 2010 http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/Women_Stat2010.pdf3 Canadian Lawyer Magazine “The Going Rate 2011” http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/3740/the-going-rate-canadian-lawyers- 2011-legal-fees-survey.html

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Interactive ActivitiesPin Ribbons In November, your class can get hands-on with the Purple Ribbon Campaign by pinning ribbons to information cards to distribute throughout your school. Materials are free and available through the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women by calling 902-368-4510 or e-mailing peipurpleribbon@eastlink.ca

Travel in Time In February 2010, the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women re-leased a video for the 20th Anniversary of the 1989 Montreal Massacre. View the five-minute video at this URL vimeo.com/9444976 or follow links from our Website at gov.pe.ca/acsw.

Attend a Memorial Service Many communities across the Island hold memorial services for victims of violence on or near De-cember 6. Visit gov.pe.ca/acsw for memorial details.

Visit the Legislature Usually, if the PEI Legislature is sitting close to December 6, MLAs make speeches and statements in the House about violence against women. Call the Interministerial Women’s Secretariat about possible dates this could happen: 902-368-6494.

Order Posters Status of Women Cana-da produces a poster each year for Decem-ber 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. You can order these for your class free of charge. Visit www.swc-cfc.gc.ca

Invite a Speaker The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women has a list of experts in the PEI community who are available to speak to school groups. Call 902-368-4510 for suggestions.

List of Handouts/ ResourcesIn this package, you will find the following handouts developed by the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women as resources for PEI teachers for the 2010 Purple Ribbon Campaign. You may copy, use, and distribute these freely.

• Background: What Is the PEI Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence (1 page): Answers to frequently asked questions about the Purple Ribbon Cam-paign.

• 20 Ways You Can Help End Violence (1 page): A list of 20 practical, hands-on ac-tions any student can do to help prevent and end bullying, relationship violence, family violence, and other forms of violence against women and children.

• For Montreal (1 page): A poem by Island poet Tanya Davis. • Sisters Remembered (1 page): A painting by Island artist Lisa Murphy.

Last year’s “2010 Teachers Resource Guide” contains additional resources developed after the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. You may download these by visiting www.gov.pe.ca/acsw/index.php3?number=1036193 or call 902-368-4510.

Page 4 2011 Purple Ribbon Campaign – Guide for Grade 9 TeachersA project of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women PO Box 2000 (161 St. Peter’s Road), Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 phone: 902.368.4510 email: peistatusofwomen@eastlink.ca website: gov.pe.ca/acsw blog: peiacsw.wordpress.com

Print Handouts for Your ClassTo download viewable or printable PDFs of all handouts in this package, visit gov.pe.ca/acsw and follow the prominent link for PURPLE RIBBON RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS. All handouts may be copied and shared as much as you wish. No special permission required.

1...Listen WELL because by your words and actions, you let the people in your life know you are someone safe to talk to if they need help.

2...Believe IT when someone tells you they are experiencing bullying, abuse, fear, or violence.

3...Support VICTIMS not the bully or abuser, if you see someone being bullied, abused, or hurt.

4...Trust YOURSELF if you sense that someone you care about isn’t safe. If you see, hear, or suspect violence, get help. Don’t put yourself in danger. Call: Children’s Help Phone 1-800-668-6868 or Anderson House Shelter 1-800-240-9894.

5...Get help that empowers you if you have been abused, or if you fear being abused. Talk to an adult you trust, like a parent or school counsellor.

6...Talk about violence with your friends, classmates, family, neighbours, teachers, and community.

7...Respect Women and girls – their bodies, minds, and spirits – equally with men and boys. Treat others with respect and fairness.

8...Find out about women’s history and the situation of women in your community, your country, and around the world.

9...Speak out against negative media images that glorify violence and against jokes, insults, and stereotypes that demean and disrespect women, children, or others.

10...Volunteer with organizations that are actively working to end violence; encourage organizations you already volunteer with to stand up against violence. Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E.) has several chapters in PEI schools. To learn more visit their website at www.savepei.com.

11...Be the best “you” you can be – reject roles you are assigned as a “boy” or “girl” or “woman” or “man” that limit your choices and identities.

12...Recognize YOUR ROLE in prejudices – sexism, racism, classism, ableism, and heterosexism. Take responsibility for changing your own attitudes and actions.

13...Learn to express your anger in non-violent ways.

14...Stop making excuses for your own violent or abusive actions or those of your classmates, families, or friends.

15...Look out for unhealthy dating behaviour (like blaming the other dating partner for all the problems, threatening to hurt yourself or your partner, acting extremely jealous, isolating a partner from their friends, trying to control the other person, pressuring for sex, or insulting, criticizing, and demeaning a dating partner).

16...Take a stand against bullying behaviours (punching, shoving and other acts that hurt people physically, spreading bad rumours about people, keeping certain people out of a group, teasing people in a mean way getting certain people to “gang up” on others).

17...Remember that abuse, bullying, and violence don’t happen because victims deserve it or because they are “asking” for it: don’t blame victims.

18...Encourage someone who acts violently to get help – but only if you are really sure you are safe to do so.

19...Treat yourself and other people with respect and fairness.

20...Have peace as your goal.

A project of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

20 Ways you can help end violence

Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence

What is the PEI Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence? How did it start?

On December 6, 1989, 14 women were murdered at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal. They were mur-dered because they were women.

Since 1991, the Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women has organized its Purple Rib-bon Campaign Against Violence.

The PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women, asks Islanders to wear purple ribbons in remem-brance of the 14 women slain at l’École Polytechnique in Montreal and to raise awareness about violence against women and children here on PEI and through-out the world.

Every year, hundreds of Island women and children are the victims of violence. The message of the Purple RIbbon Campaign is that this has got to stop. We must remember the 14 young women in Montreal who were murdered because they were women, and we must act to end violence against women and children.

On December 6, women across Canada often say,

“First mourn, then work for change.”

Why is there a Purple Ribbon Campaign?

The purposes of the Purple Ribbon Campaign are to:

• Remember the fourteen women who died in Montreal on December 6, 1989

• Remember all women who have died violently and the many thousands who continue to live with abuse

• Raise awareness about violence against women and children

Who organizes the Purple Ribbon Campaign?

The Purple Ribbon Campaign is a project of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women, an arms-length advisory agency of government. Many people across the province volunteer their time to ensure a wide distribution of ribbons. The campaign each year sees increasing numbers of women, men, and youth wearing ribbons.

Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence

A project of the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women

BACKGROUND

When did the Purple Ribbon Campaign begin?

The Purple Ribbon Campaign was initiated in 1991. It started out relatively small with the Advisory Council handing out about 500 ribbons. This year, the Advi-sory Council will distribute more than 10,000 bilingual information cards and ribbons.

Why the colour purple?

Purple has long been the colour of the women’s movement, beginning with the suffragettes. It’s a symbol of pain and suffering but also of power, spiri-tuality, and transformation.

When do we wear the purple ribbon?

Wear the ribbon between November 25, the Interna-tional Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women and December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. The ribbons can also be worn during PEI Family Violence Preven-tion Week every February. Some people choose to wear ribbons year-round, to show support for an end to violence against women and children

Should men and boys wear a purple ribbon?

Yes. Wearing a purple ribbon is an opportunity for men and boys, as well as women and girls, to remem-ber and acknowledge violence against women and to support the work against violence against women.

In some parts of Canada, men wear a white ribbon instead. The White Ribbon Campaign is a campaign by and for men, originating in Toronto. The white ribbon is usually worn by men only. If men on PEI choose to wear a white ribbon, we ask that they also wear a purple ribbon.

PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women PO Box 2000 (161 St. Peter’s Road)Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

phone: 902.368.4510 email: peistatusofwomen@eastlink.ca website: gov.pe.ca/acsw blog: peiacsw.wordpress.com

Today…

In 1989 on PEI I was 10 years old. I was a good kid, I did what I was told. I went to swimming lessons then so I could protect myself in the water. I went to grade school so I could prepare myself to be a grown-up in the world ’cause I would someday have a job there. My parents, like any others, just wanted to keep safe their young daughter. And so though they listened to the news they didn’t relay back to me what went on there.

In 1999 I was 20 years old. I had survived puberty, high school, and life in a residence dorm. I had survived date rape just like every other woman I know. I had taken abuses and hate from men who were acquaintances and strangers both. And in 1999 I found an anger on the inside and I began to let it show.

I followed in the footsteps of women I didn’t even know, who had all been hurt before, who lived and died trying to tie the score, until there was nothing left to be fighting for. My feet fell in time with the beat of females marching in the night to take back our rights or maybe gain them or feel safe for the first time. In peace we came together to remember those who died.

And also in 1999 I began to see I was, indeed, a feminist. I knew the Montreal Massacre had happened ten years previous but I didn’t yet know the details of it. I have since been educated; for instance, I’ve learned that in an institu-tion of learning a man went spreading his message. In a classroom he sepa-rated the sexes and he kept the women and he sent the men out and maybe some protested but still they all went out. And then he had a truly captive audience. And so before he shot them he made sure he taught them what he thought about why they deserved what they got, he said, “I hate feminists.”

The shots rang out in the cold December air and soon but not soon enough the police were there and 14 people had perished.

The news was all over this. 14 dead. More injured. And what of the fact that they were women? What of the fact that a man killed them as a revenge he waged against feminism? Well, the presses didn’t much mention this. Instead, they stressed the importance of honouring the victims, mourning the losses, not making this into a feminist issue or something to strengthen our causes.

And why not? Why shouldn’t a vendetta against women be reflected upon? Why shouldn’t we have a discussion on the fact that misogyny is still strong and the massacre in Montreal was one man’s assault on women, each with her own face, as well as feminism, a call to bring equality to half the human race. After all, ever since women existed there has been violence against us. On Prince Edward Island it is no different. In 1989, here, too, women were victims. Some lived to talk about it and some didn’t. Some segments of the population simply went missing. First Nations women, for instance; poor

Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence

A poem by PEI poet Tanya Davis, December 2009

FOR MONTREAL

people living on the fringes and those working in the sex industry… ’cause as long as there are classes there are those who matter to people in power and those on the periphery.

But in 1989 in Montreal feminism was a topic on the table that no one wanted to debrief.

And of course, mourn the victims, support those who witnessed it and will twitch in haunted dreams as it sticks with them. Grieve the people whose lives he took with him. But, remember, too, there is a system this was rooted in. He did not grow up in a bubble. Or learn in a bubble. Or become a killer ’cause he was living in a bubble. He walked city streets like anybody. And maybe he had a murderer’s tendencies but we can’t excuse events like these to crazy people and anomalies without also questioning the society that raised them, the influences that shaped them, the school systems that trained them, the media that played to them, the ideas that swayed them and the meanings and actions that came from them.

Today, we search for meaning still. I put my words into the world using my full name and not just my initials. Female writers have not always been this free. I am a working woman now but there were so many more before me.

In 1989 I was only 10 years old. Montreal was miles away yet it was right next door. 14 murdered women were strangers but they were women we know. Because violence didn’t start there and then and it didn’t end with them, it is the whole world over. It’s here on our island home and the blood blends with the red soil. And tears are shed for all our toils.

We remember them because we cannot forget. We stand in honour of all women. And when we march and are followed by honourable men we welcome their support, we welcome them. And as we follow feminists who have gone ahead, for the path they paved we thank them. And for the women who are living and for those who have passed their last breath, we show them every time we gather, that we will work, and we will hurt until the violence ends.

Tanya Davis, 2009

Commissioned for the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre

This teacher’s guide is a pilot project, and we at the PEI Advisory Council on the Status of Women welcome your comments and feedback. Please take a few minutes to fill out this evaluation and return it to the Advisory Council via interoffice mail. Additional comments are welcome on the back of the sheet. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is strongly disagree and 10 is strongly agree, please grade the following:

Prince Edward Island Advisory Council on the Status of Women PO Box 2000 (161 St. Peter’s Road), Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8phone) 902.368.4510email) peistatusofwomen@eastlink.cawebsite) http://www.gov.pe.ca/acswblog) http://peiacsw.wordpress.com

Evaluation Form – Resource Guide for PEI Grade 9 TeachersPurple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence

1. Overall, I found the Resource Guide to be a useful resource for my students.

2. The Resource Guide is easy to read.

3. I found the handout Background: What is the PEI Purple Ribbon Campaign Against Violence to be a useful resource for my students.

4. I found the handout 20 Ways You Can Help End Violence to be a useful resource for my students.

5. I found the handout of Tanya Davis’s poem “For Montreal” to be a useful resource for my students.

6. I found the handout of Lisa Murphy’s painting “Sisters Remembered” to be a useful resources for my students.

7. The Resource Guide, Handouts and Resource are designed well and contain appealing and effective graphic elements.

Thank you!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Strongly Agree

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Strongly Agree

Strongly Disagree

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Strongly Agree

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Additional comments welcomed.